Uyuni Salt Lake, white deserts and colored lagoonsEduardo Avaroa ReserveBetween heaven and earth there is a great watery salt plain where the heavens are mirrored in the horizon of the earth. The Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia's largest salt lake, was created forty thousand years ago as a flat bed into which the salty mineral residue drained from the...

Uyuni Salt Lake, white deserts and colored lagoonsEduardo Avaroa ReserveBetween heaven and earth there is a great watery salt plain where the heavens are mirrored in the horizon of the earth. The Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia's largest salt lake, was created forty thousand years ago as a flat bed into which the salty mineral residue drained from the...

Uyuni Restaurants

Great restaurant with a nice atmosphere. This was the best food I'd had in almost two months in South America!Price indicated includes a beer, a glass of wine and then a bottle of wine!
I had pasta which was yummy (large portions) and my husband had a huge pizza which was apparently great.**UPDATE**I have received this message regarding this...

This restaurante is family ran. They have pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, meat and chicken. The place is clean, prices are fine and the food is good!Openned all they long from Monday to Sunday.Don't miss it. They also have a restaurante in Tupiza.
Churrasco a Argetina and the Biana Pizza

The last night we stayed in Alota and came upon a herd of llamas on our evening stroll. They were more alarmed with our being there than we were surprised to find them wandering the dusty deserted streets. Sooner or later, they went past us and into a stone corral, where I snapped this photo. We had a great end of tour dinner party that night back...

Uyuni Transportation

Actually there are two trains that go from Oruro To Uyuni...so far i know that the train companies are: EXPRESO DEL SUR AND WARA WARA. the first is a little bit expensive but much more confortable. and the go to Uyuni every tuesday and friday. they departs from the train station in oruro at 15:30 and arrives in uyuni at 22:30. if you one further...

I started out this trip from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Similar trips can be organized from Bolivia of course, with Uyuni and Tupiza being the most famous start-off points. The advantage of starting from San Pedro is that you get to do the circuit in reverse - which means saving the best (the Salar) for last. The disadvantage is that there is a...

Travel by yourself to do this circuit is probably not done in this area - definitely not if you are going from San Pedro in Chile. You cannot take a car across the border and the buses will not be touring the circuit. Also the driving conditions are treacherous and you can easily get lost as there are no clear roads and it is difficult to navigate...

Uyuni Shopping

All the the altiplano towns have numerous shops that make a living selling the necessities to locals and also carry many luxury items for travelers passing through. These are small Mom & Pop operations and offer a glimpse into local life in this harsh environment.
You can find most things you are craving like chocolate, cookies,bisquits, and soft...

I know that Uyuni has a large street market on Thursdays (I have been there twice on Thursday). It may also be open on Sundays. It stretches for two blocks on Av. Potosi from the Hotel Kutimuy almost to the clock tower. It is Uyuni's equivalent of a department store and grocery store combined.

Esta zona del Altiplano es conocida como el “Nido de los Andes”, ya que ahí viven más de 30.000 flamencos de tres especies diferentes que nidifican en el (andino , chileno y james )This area of the "Altiplano" is known as the "Andean Nest" , as more than 30.000 flamingos of three different spices (Andean , Chilean , James ) are living and nesting...

Es curioso pero la sal cristaliza en grandes figuras de cinco o seis lados , que se ven en todo el salar It is curious but the salt crystallize in figures of fiveor six sides , that you may see when you walk in the Salar

Uyuni Warnings and Dangers

UYUNI-SUMAJ JALLPHA, DO NOT TAKE THIS TOURIST AGENCY IN UYUNI !!!!First in english and then in spanish at the end.I had a very bad experience few days ago when on feb 4th, 2004 I was in Uyuni to get a tour around the Salar, so they charge me 150 bolivianos myself x 1 day only, im from Peru, and I have no discussion about it, but then the service...

You will inevitably hear many horror stories of these trips to the Salt Flats, and I have to say that some of them are true, especially about the driving. Bolivians drive in a horrendous manner and we have seen with our own eyes accidents occurring with other groups (thankfully not ours - we had a wonderful guide/driver). Unfortunately no tour...

Uyuni Tourist Traps

If you ever find yourself needing to book a tour to Salar de Uyuni, NEVER BOOK WITH ‘SUMAJ JALLPA’. Why?- Their 4x4 is crap. We were over taken by every other jeep throughout the 3 days, and it seemed to be constantly overheating as the driver had to stop on several occasions to air it out and give the car a rest.- We were promised breakfast on the...

I had an excellent tour. I booked with Swiss Bolivian adventures based in La Paz, and they just took all the hassle away and arranged everything from the bus ticket from La Paz to the hotel in Uyuni and the tour on the Salar. On return I booked my jungle trip with them they were so good!

Avoid this company like hell:-Departure delayed for hours with no explanation. The owner hid in the Tonito Tours office rather than talk to us-Sour driver with very little English-Cook (Conception) was rude and was cooking tea for herself while we were left freezing in unheated room-Overnight in Atulcha (outside the Salar) instead of San Juan
Use...

Uyuni What to Pack

*No suitcases! Backpacks are the best bet as they will be stacked on the top of the car
* make sure to have warm clothes that can be layered to deal with the temperature changes. Gloves, beanies and scarves are suggested as well, and a warm jacket is a must. Ideally windproof clothes should also be packed.* sunglasses. This is a must as the sun is...

If youre planning to do a longer trip visiting more than the Saltdesert, youre most likely to have to sleep at higher altitudes. Therefore, make sure youve got a good sleeping bag (once in, undress as much as possible to keep warm) and cotton, wool made clothes! Gloves and cap.
Uh, something to avoid that diarrhoea from taking over!Be proud if...

Uyuni Off The Beaten Path

We are 5 guys and ad an awesome tour from la paz to Uyuni and the Three days! we booked trough a company called "Kings Travel" and they were just great , the rate we paid was 165 U$ each but it was money well spent! at first we had a just excellent guide named Gery, who speaks fluent english, is a professional archaeologist and a paramedic! he...

I'm not sure if it could be classed as off the beaten track, it certanly a well trodden road !! but its still so remote you feel you are the first person to ever see it, If that makes senseThe start of a epic journey, one which i shall never forgetMy first stop the train grave yard climb amongst them get your camera out and fire awayWhen i did this...

Uyuni Sports & Outdoors

before getting to laguna verde, we had the great change to try to swim in the hot spring.it`s such a great experience because, when outside the swimming pool is really cold in the water is great. i could stay there the whole day but i had going on travelling.so, don`t forget to bring your swim clothes because the experience is...

Looking for a reliable company to take you on the Salar de Uyuni and lagunas tour? Look no further. The number 1 company recommended by travelers and locals alike in Uyuni is Colque tours. They have the most reliable 4x4 trucks and usually have the most tours in the area (sometimes ran 4 different trucks at a time). I presonally recommend this good...

Uyuni Favorites

I have been trying to decide how to answer the question about how to choose a Salar de Uyuni tour company (there are many). Although it is important to have good equipment and facilities, actually I think the key is who you are with. They like to put 6 passengers in a Land Cruiser. There will also be a driver/guide and there may be a cook. You will...

As for when to go, I have been in October and April. Both were good. The rainy season is November to March. If the water layer is thin, then its good for photography and no problem getting around. However, if it gets too deep, the surface could morph into an impassable quagmire. An alternative is to include the northern Salar in your tour, where...

Experience Uyuni

Top Uyuni Writers

Often times the places hardest to get to turn out to be the best and perhaps seem all the better for the effort it takes to get there. The surreal landscape surrounding and encompassing The Salar de...

Uyuni is the jumping off point for the 4WD tours of southern Bolivia. There is a standard 4-day loop to the far south and a less traveled 2-day loop to the northern part of the Salar. Both loop tours...

This surrealistic tour is very popular and many agecies based in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) and Uyuni offer this 3 days off-road ride over the southern Bolivian Altiplano. I started from San Pedro...

I think that i must write a few words to this magnificient place i`ve ever seen in bolivia.
not in vain, thousand of tourist mainly from overseas, come here to see this place.
I have to say that i had...